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"I, Li Huiwen, would never fabricate stories!"

As Li Huiwen finished her declaration, she caught sight of a familiar silhouette through the glass window. Immediately, she put down her hand that was poised to swear and gripped her camera with a serious expression, ready to capture the moment.

Chu Yuening rode her food cart, waving and greeting the vendors on Temple Street. She noticed Lin Jiahua's stall being occupied by Shanpo's array of fruits.

"Shanpo, where's A Hua?"

With a peachwood comb nestled in her white hair, Shanpo bent over, arranging apples. Carefully selecting the largest and most appealing ones from the box, she made sure their bright, shiny sides faced the street, luring passersby with their allure.

After placing another apple, Shanpo lifted her head to respond. "A Hua hasn't been out for the past two days. He's worried about the stall going to waste, so he asked me to put out more fruit for sale."

Speaking, Shanpo picked out two apples that weren't as visually appealing and handed them to Chu Yuening. "Ning Ning, these apples are very sweet. These two might not look great, but they'll be perfect for making syrup."

"Thank you," Chu Yuening accepted, feeling a bit embarrassed. Lately, Shanpo had often given her fruits to make syrup as a gesture of kindness.

Intent on repaying her generosity.

Chu Yuening retrieved a cup adorned with a calming charm from the icebox. "It's my newly developed sugar water. Give it a try, it's even more invigorating than coffee."

"Really?" Shanpo, who usually enjoyed her coffee, was thrilled at the prospect of something more effective. She promptly took the cup and placed it in the white plastic box behind her.

"I'll have to give it a proper test then!"

As Chu Yuening conversed with Shanpo, she began clearing out the cart. Retrieving a cardboard sign, she also took a marker from a red plastic bag, flipped the sign over, and rewrote the message.

Fortune Telling (Two readings a day, one hundred for each.)

Feng Shui Consultation (Two thousand for a session.)

Seeing this, Shanpo advised, "Ning Ning, you shouldn't write that."

"Why not?" Chu Yuening paused, blinking in confusion.

"Who in Temple Street puts prices on display? There are many tourists here, mostly from inland areas. If we put prices, they might think it's too expensive and won't even bother to inquire."

With decades of experience selling fruits, Shanpo understood the art of dealing with customers. "Even if they don't buy and just ask about the price, thinking it's expensive, it will create an impression that our stall is popular, attracting more people to come."

Chu Yuening listened attentively.

Seeing that she was receptive, Shanpo continued, "I know you're skilled in divination, but others don't. In Kowloon, there are fortune-tellers on every corner charging twenty or thirty dollars per reading. If someone sees your price of one hundred dollars, they'll turn around and leave."

"If you don't write it down, potential customers might think it's too expensive. But if they see you making desserts and they're thirsty, they might buy your sweet soup instead."

After hearing this, Chu Yuening realized there was some truth to it.

She had initially intended to set the price to deter casual or non-urgent seekers of fortune-telling services.

Although she had gained a bit of recognition in Temple Street, most of her patrons were local stall owners.

"But I've already written it on the cardboard. It wouldn't be proper to erase it now."

"Cardboard is no big deal," Shanpo said, promptly retrieving a large piece from a pile of flattened boards at her feet. "There's always more."

"Thank you, Shanpo."

With a bright smile, Chu Yuening gratefully accepted the new board and rewrote her message.

Offering fortune-telling and geomancy services: two consultations per day, free of charge if not accurate.

With the sign crafted, Chu Yuening found a piece of iron wire to string it up outside the glass cabinet, attaching it alongside the price list for the sugar water, ensuring it was visible to customers. Finished with her task, Shanpo fetched two low stools and invited Yuening to sit with her.

As they chatted, Shanpo sipped on the sugar water infused with a cleansing charm, praising its taste with every drink.

In another part of town...

A stretched Bentley pulled into the parking lot of the Hanxing Commercial Complex.

The young man, wearing a custom sneakers, stepped out from the backseat. He had on a dark navy sweater that revealed the edge of his white T-shirt, and his handsome, youthful face wore a slightly grim expression, seemingly upset about something.

"Xing Ge, don't be angry," his friend, carrying a brown backpack, followed behind, hurriedly explaining, "We clearly knew that the Sugar Water Goddess went to the cafeteria to look for someone. The police are trying to gather leads; it's impossible that we would keep quiet if we had information."

Qiao Xing paused in his steps, the irritation still etched on his youthful face. He couldn't help but hastily clarify, "She's such a kind person, she even chased after me to return extra money. How could she possibly be involved in a murder case?"

"Who knows? Nowadays, there are plenty of female accomplices in criminal investigations."

Another friend chimed in, "Yeah, Xing Ge, you can't have fallen head over heels for the Goddess after just one meeting, right?"

"If not, why would Brother Xin be searching for dessert stalls all day long?"

A friend reminisced, "I even saw her stall with a fortune-telling sign that day. Being young, maybe she couldn't fool the smart students at the school gate, so she moved on to scamming elsewhere."

"Brother Xin, you can't fall too deeply into this."

Both were passionate students who subscribed to scientific rationalism; in their eyes, every fortune-teller was nothing but a fraud.

Seeing Qiao Xin seemed to take it seriously, they couldn't help but try to dissuade him.

Qiao Xin's headache worsened from the annoyance. He already had plenty of issues at home, and just after taking a leave, he ran into his friends, who were even bragging about reporting his goddess to the police.

He no longer wanted to listen to their nonsense.

Frowning, Qiao Xin said, "Either go back or shut up."

Upon seeing Qiao Xin's stern expression, the two exchanged glances and fell silent.

Chu Yuening was still engaged in conversation with Shanpo.

A voice filled with delight echoed from ahead.

Chu Yuening lifted her head and saw three male classmates standing at the stall. One of them looked somewhat familiar. She tilted her head, trying to recall him – was he the male classmate who had bought sweet soup that morning but lacked change?